UIDAI expected to advise risk assessment before using Aadhaar for age proofing

Public and private entities in India relying on Aadhaar to provide proof of things like age or address will be instructed by the Unique identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to first carry out a risk-based assessment, The Hindu reports.

Aadhaar and its biometric verification capabilities are widely relied on to confirm the eligibility of people for government subsidies and other benefits, and for identity verification for access to private services.

An advisory published in December by UIDAI advised organizations to remove Aadhaar from their list of acceptable documents for proof of age of birth. Officials told The Hindu that the UIDAI will likely issue further clarification soon.

Aadhaar is not considered legal proof of age as such, which is instead provided by credentials like birth certificates and educational documents. Passports and driver’s licenses are acceptable as proof of age for those Indians that possess them.

The policy is intended to align with a decision by the Bombay High Court last year that Aadhaar, as an identity document, does not prove the bearer’s age.

Reliable identity proofing has proved a challenge in its own right, with the UIDAI and other government agencies taking steps to reduce fraud associated with Aadhaar.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  age verification  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  India  |  UIDAI